We’re open until we feel like being closed

I recall when Target in my neighborhood in the US switched to a policy of “Open 8 am to 10 pm, 7 days a week” and the only time one had to think about whether Target was open was pre-Christmas (often open until 11) and certain holidays. When I was a kid Target was not open as many hours on Sunday, but eventually they switched over to the grocery store model which suited me quite well. I even admit to going to Wal-mart on a few occasions when Target was closed and I needed something at an odd hour.

Trading hours for retail are less evolved here in the UK, and I find it’s a constant battle to figure out when things are open. The M&S food hall in my neighborhood has shut its doors just minutes before I arrived there not once, but twice this week. Curious as to how I was going wrong, I checked the opening times for this week on their website:

That’s right, for this week, on any given day M&S might close at 5, 6, 6:30, 7, or 8. Out of a mere 7 days in the week, there are five different possible closing times, and the most frequently that a single closing time is duplicated is twice. No wonder I’m confused.